Saturday, February 8, 2014

Surfacing

Diane McGregor, Surfacing I, graphite on paper, 2.25x6 inches

Diane McGregor, Surfacing II, graphite on paper, 2.25x6 inches

I am working on several new series of panoramic abstractions. Although the image says to the viewer's brain, "This is landscape," in reality these images are coming from deep within me and don't reference any landscape objective. These two drawings are part of a series of 10. I'm also working on several oil paintings within this panoramic format. One series currently in progress consists of 5 oil on canvas paintings measuring 12x36 inches each. I'm very excited about the spiritual and psychological potential of this work. I am allowing the images to emerge from a still point of concentration. Continuing with my exploration of the grid, the images are
built up from horizontal and vertical strokes of graphite. A friend called this work "silent grids," and I rather like that definition. The underlying structure of the imagery is a grid, yet the end result is very fluid and organic. I am using the same technique with the oil paintings as well -- each layer of paint is added by applying vertical and horizontal brushstrokes, evoking light and shadow, form and substance, without leaving any boundary traces or definitive edges.